Zengeler Cleaners expands outreach to meet evolving needs
Involvement in the community has been one of the pillars on which founder A.W. Zengeler built his cleaning business in 1857. He clearly understood that giving back to the community was an obligation of the business community. That philosophy has never been more important than in the past year, with a pandemic impacting the community and individuals in ways no one could have imagined at the start of 2020.
“In the very early stages of the pandemic, it became clear we should rethink everything about our local outreach and shift our focus to how we could best respond to the changing needs of the communities we serve,” said Tom Zengeler, President of Zengeler Cleaners. “For every organization that postponed or cancelled activities, there was a new need that had never before been on our radar. Because every town we serve is a little different, with its own unique set of issues, we needed to be as flexible as possible with our approach to outreach so we could provide volunteers, time, financial donations or cleaning services, whichever best suited these evolving needs.”
A new and pressing need in the last year was for face coverings. Zengeler Cleaners partnered with Image Apparel Solutions of Wheeling to donate hundreds of high-quality, reusable masks to Lake County Haven, the Libertyville Food Pantry and several other organizations, along with 100+ hooded sweatshirts to a local youth services agency. Zengeler Cleaners also provided financial support to Craftsman Café for laptops and training to recent high school grads, helping to improve their employment prospects in the process. The company also expanded support for Libertyville Sunrise Rotary, where Tom Zengeler serves as President, thereby increasing LSR’s support for Lake County area not-for-profits, most recently with their successful Coats for Vets drive which concluded in November.
Zengeler Cleaners also understood some organizations it served in the past would need more help than ever to provide services as a result of the pandemic. With that in mind, the company continued to support a variety of other causes, including youth sponsorships for girls and boys, social service agencies, activities sponsored by faith-based organizations and several educational programs. With the hope that schools can reopen with a full menu of activities next spring, Zengeler Cleaners also continued its award-winning prom dress collection program for Mothers Trust Foundation of Lake Forest and the Glass Slipper Project in Chicago.
When added together, these contributions amount to thousands of dollars in cash and many, many times that in donated cleaning services. “The spirt of A.W. Zengeler Cleaners lives on, just as strong as ever, and is reflected in the hard work and commitment to community outreach shown by our dedicated staff,” concluded Tom Zengeler.
For more information about community involvement at Zengeler Cleaners, please contact Tom Zengeler, President, at (847) 272-6550, ext. 14, or visit Zengeler Cleaners at www.zengelercleaners.com. Zengeler Cleaners… America’s First Family of Dry Cleaning™, with locations in Northbrook, Winnetka, Deerfield, Northfield, Hubbard Woods, Long Grove and two stores in Libertyville.
